CNN Poll: Leaders Acted Like 'Spoiled Children' on Debt

Most Americans disapprove of the compromise debt-reduction deal reached between congressional leaders and President Barack Obama, and believe participants in the negotiations behaved in less than a mature manner, according to a new CNN poll.

 

Conducted Monday while the House was voting on the compromise deal, the poll finds that 77 percent of respondents believe elected officials who were involved in the debt talks have acted like spoiled children, while only 17 percent say politicians behaved like responsible adults.

 

The poll shows 52 percent of Americans say they are opposed to the deal while 44 percent are in favor. In addition, 51 percent disapprove of the concept of raising the debt ceiling, while 48 percent say they approve — regardless of how they stand on the agreement.

The poll also shows that almost two-thirds of those surveyed — 65 percent — are in favor of spending cuts, while 30 percent are opposed, and 4 percent are not sure.

 

When asked who was responsible for striking the deal, 43 percent believe it was congressional Republicans, while 34 percent say it was Democrats and the president. More Americans approve of the way Obama handled the talks, 46 percent; than congressional Democrats, 35 percent;  or Republicans, 30 percent.

 

The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International, with 860 adult Americans, who were questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.